Harter's clean image tainted by racy calendar

La Crosse Mayor Matt Harter has a few more leadership skills to learn, it seems.

La Crosse's radio station 95.7 The Rock published its annual fundraising calendar, with Harter's approval.

Mayor Harter is pictured on the cover of the calendar in his office with the radio station's on-air personalities. The inside of the calendar features local women photographed in scarce clothing or bathing suits.

Harter approved of the calendar, and even did a radio endorsement saying, "Hi, I'm Mayor Matt
Harter, and I approve this calendar."

Even though he clearly approved and endorsed the calendar, he later stated that he wasn't aware of that it featured women in barely-there outfits.
Whether or not Harter was aware of the steamy photos inside, he still endorsed the calendar.

Either he is one sneaky man showing his approval of The Rock's usage of women's sex appeal, or he was surprisingly naïve not to look through the product he was endorsing within the community.

While some may see this as a horrible representation of La Crosse, it isn't all bad.

The Rock's calendar raises about $8,000 annually. The proceeds benefit The Rock Foundation, which distributes money to local families in need.

I don't approve of his endorsement, but politicians have done much, much worse.

It would have been better if the calendar endorsement had not happened at all, or at least not after he spoke at Viterbo's Student Leadership Conference. However, it is a good example of how politicians, and everyone, need to be aware of what or whom they are representing.

If you're going to represent your community, organization, even your family, you should be able to explain why you support something, or why you have a particular opinion or view on an issue.
Don't just stand back and let others mold your thoughts and opinions. Get the information, understand it, and create your own view that you can proudly stand by.

And if you do make a mistake, such as posing on the cover of a calendar featuring photos of women in suggestive poses, at least learn from it and make better decisions in the future.